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Simone de Beauvoir's ‘The Second Sex’ for the 21st CenturyTranslators Constance Borde and Sheila Malovany-Chevallier to Speak Feb. 15

February 10, 2011-Houston-

French philosopher Simone de
Beauvoir's groundbreaking book "The Second Sex" is a multifaceted analysis of
women's cultural status and the basis for current understandings of the social
construction of gender. The initial English translation was done quickly, and
marred by major omissions and inaccuracies, but the publisher blocked revisions. Until now.
The translators of the new and unabridged translation, Americans Constance
Borde and Sheila Malovany-Chevallier, will be on campus to discuss their work
on Tuesday, Feb. 15, at the Rockwell Pavilion in the UH M.D. Anderson Library
(11:30 a.m. -1 p.m.).

"de Beauvoir's book is one of the
most significant feminist works," said Elizabeth Gregory, UH professor and
director of the Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies (WGSS) program. "This
presentation offers a rare opportunity for our students and the academic
community to delve into the issues de Beauvoir explores and her role in framing
current views."

Borde and Malovany-Chevallier will address
both the challenges of translating the text into English and the relevance of de
Beauvoir's work to the current scene. This event is sponsored by the UH department
of modern and classical languages, and the WGSS program. A second discussion
will be hosted by Rice University at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17 in Rayzor Hall on
the Rice campus. For questions regarding the UH event, contact Gregory at egregory@uh.edu.

The book, originally published in
1949, is de Beauvoir's most renowned work. Since the 1959 release of the first
English translation, many scholars have taken issue with the accuracy of the
text. After years of scholarly debate, Borde and Malovany-Chevallier were
commissioned to publish the new translation.